Shrek 2 set for massive French weekend

Two wide releases have ashot at passing $300m this weekend as Warner Bros' Harry Potter And ThePrisoner Of Azkaban and FoxInternational's The Day After Tomorrow both approach the milestone.

Studio executives will behoping that Prisoner Of Azkabancan boost its $282.2m international running total with a strong Japanese bow onSaturday (26).

The signs are certainlypromising: Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets opened top there in November 2002 on $16.7m from 858screens. Prisoner Of Azkaban getsits final major bow in Korea on Jul 8.

Meanwhile The Day AfterTomorrow has no major bows remainingfollowing its powerful day-and-date opening last month and executives will berelying on strong holdover business to boost its $287m cumulative score.

Fox International will alsorelease Legally Blonde 2 in itsfinal market of Italy on Jun 25 (the picture has amassed $34.6m to date) and MamboItaliano in Germany on Jun 24.

Elsewhere Dreamworks' Shrek2 will be hoping to extend itsEuropean dominance after opening through UIP in France on Jun 23 and severalsmaller markets.

The sequel has grossed morethan $32.5m through UIP to date and can expect a dent from the football onFriday night (25), when France plays Greece in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals.

When Shrek opened in France in July 2001 it came top after itsfirst week on $5.6m on 669 screens.

Paramount's Against TheRopes opens in Germany on Jun 24,while Mean Girls goes out inAustralia on the same day and in Mexico a day later. Dreamworks' Eurotrip opens in the UK on Jun 25.

Buena Vista Internationalwill release The Alamo in Italyon Jun 25. The picture has not done well, mirroring its domestic performance,and it has grossed $1.5m to date.

Confessions Of A TeenageDrama Queen opens Spain on Jun 25 andis in the early stages of release, as is The Ladykillers, which has taken $15.9m so far and opens in Braziland the UK on Jun 25.

The latest internationalrunning total for Miramax's Kill Bill Vol 2 is $76.9m following a Russian bow of just over $1m lastweekend, while Scary Movie 3 ison $110.7m, Spy Kids 3D: Game Overis on $79.7m, and Starsky And Hutch has taken $72.4m.

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